Stainless steel for high-purity gases

ABSTRACT

Stainless steels for high-purity gases which are superior in non-dusting characteristics required at the time of welding, corrosion resistance and non-catalytic property and which can be widely utilized in the manufacturing process of semiconductors, liquid crystal displays or the like. The austenitic stainless steels of the present invention are characterized by having decreased Mn, Al, Si and O contents. The austenitic stainless steels meet the non-dusting characteristics which are required at the time of welding. In addition, corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance and machinability are improved. The ferritic and the duplex stainless steels of the present invention are characterized in that they can readily form thereon a Cr oxide layer when subjected to oxidation treatment. The ferritic and two-phase stainless steels are superior in corrosion resistance to corrosive gases, and contain non-catalytic property against chemically-unstable gases.

SPECIFICATION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to stainless steels for high-purity gasesused in the manufacturing process of semiconductors or the like.

2. Background Art

In the field of the manufacturing of semiconductors or liquid crystaldisplays, the degree of the integration of devices has increased inrecent years.

In the manufacturing of a device called VLSI, a fine pattern of 1 micronor less is required. In such a manufacturing process, fine dust or anextremely small amount of gas impurities are deposited to or adsorbed bya wiring pattern to cause a circuit failure. It is therefore necessarythat both a reaction gas and a carrier gas used have high purity; thatis, only a few particles and gas impurities can be present in thesegases. For this reason, a pipe or a member used for such gases that havehigh-purity is required that the inner surface thereof discharges ascontaminants only minimum amounts of particles and gases. Besides inertgases such as nitrogen and argon, many gases called speciality gases arealso used as gases for manufacturing semiconductors. Examples of thespeciality gases include corrosive gases such as chlorine, hydrogenchloride and hydrogen bromide, and chemically-unstable gases such assilane. For the former gases is required corrosion resistance, and forthe latter gases is required non-catalytic property (the property ofpreventing the decomposition of silane gas or the like to produceparticles, which is caused due to the catalytic property of the innersurface of a pipe).

Heretofore, in order to reduce the deposition or adsorption of dust orwater, the inner surface of the pipe or the member for gases used formanufacturing semiconductors has been smoothed until the roughnessthereof in R_(max) becomes 1 micron or less. Cold drawing, mechanicalpolishing, chemical polishing, electropolishing, or the combinationthereof can be mentioned as the method for smoothing the inner surfaceof the pipe or the member. However, a highly-smoothed material having anR_(max) of 1 micron or less is chiefly obtained by means ofelectropolishing. The pipe or the like whose inner surface is smoothedis then washed with high-purity water, and dried by a high-purity gas toobtain a final product.

Welding is generally adopted when a pipe line is laid. This is becausewelding can ensure high strength and good airtightness to the pipe line.In the laying of a pipe line by welding, usually a high-purity inertgas, typically argon gas is allowed to run as a shielding gas through apipe whose inner surface will come into contact with a high-purity gas,in order to avoid, as much as possible, contamination and oxidation of apart which is heated to high temperatures. Further, after the pipe lineis laid, the pipes are purged with high-purity argon or nitrogen gas toremove those particles which are still remaining in the pipes. It takesseveral days to several weeks for this purging operation when the pipeline is long and complicated, such as a plant pipe line. Recently,decrease in the cost of the construction of asemiconductor-manufacturing plant and the early operation of the planthave been strongly demanded. To meet these demands, it is now requiredto shorten the purging time.

Besides the aforementioned properties, the pipe and the member for highpurity gases are required to have weldability; the joint area thereof towhich mechanical sealing is applied is required to have abrasionresistance; and when parts such as joints are produced by machining,machinability is required.

On the other hand, it has been known that corrosion resistance to andnon-catalytic property against speciality gases, which are required forthe pipe or the like for gases used for manufacturing semiconductors,can be improved by forming a Cr oxide layer on the surface of stainlesssteel by heating the steel under such an atmosphere in that the partialpressure of oxygen is controlled (see "Special Technique forNon-Corrosive, Non-Catalytic Cr₂ O₃ Stainless Steel Pipes", The 24thVLSI Ultra-Clean Technology Workshop held by Ultra Clean Society, pp.55-67, Jun. 5, 1993). It is noted that the objective material for thepipes reported in this literature is assumed to be SUS 316L stainlesssteel.

The above demand of corrosion resistance and non-catalytic property ismade not only for a pipe line for gases. The same demand is also madefor stainless steels which are used for various types of apparatus formanufacturing semiconductors, in which a wafer is finely processed.Austenitic stainless steels, in particular, type SUS 316L is mainly usedas a material for the pipes and the members of such apparatus.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 161145/1988 disclosesnon-standard high-cleanness austenitic stainless steels which are usedfor steel pipes arranged in a clean room. Non-metallic inclusions arereduced by limiting Mn, Si, Al and O (oxygen) contents so as to decreasethe production of the previously-mentioned particles from the innersurface of the pipes.

Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 198463/1989 disclosesstainless steel members for an apparatus used for manufacturingsemiconductors. These members are produced in such a manner in thatstainless steel after subjected to electropolishing is heated in anoxidizing gas which is under the specific conditions to form thereon anoxide layer having a thickness of 100 to 500 angstrom, in which theproportion of the number of Ni atoms in the outer part of the layer andthat of the numbers of Cr atoms in the inner part of the layer are inrespective predetermined ranges.

Furthermore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 59524/1993discloses stainless steel members for an ultra-high vacuum apparatus,which are obtained by forming a Cr₂ O₃ layer having a thickness of 20 to150 angstrom on the surface layer of stainless steel in which Cr and Mocontents are in a specific relation. It is described that this layer canbe obtained, for example, by heating the stainless steel at 250° to 550°C. under such an atmosphere in that the partial pressure of oxygen is 5Pa (50 ppm) or less.

It can be expected that non-dusting characteristics under steady stateconditions, which are indispensable for a stainless steel pipe forhigh-purity gases, are obtained by smoothing the inner surface of thepipe, and by reducing non-metallic inclusions as described in JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Publication No. 161145/1988. However, when pipes ormembers are laid by welding, the welds thereof produce a large amount ofdust. This is an essential problem for a pipe line for high-puritygases, for which the characteristics of producing no dust or only a fewdust particles are important.

Regarding the dust which is produced when the pipes or members arewelded, the particles remaining therein are removed by means of purgingafter they are laid as described previously. However, to purge acomplicated pipe line in a whole plant creates two problems from theviewpoints of decreasing the cost of plant construction and of thenecessitating the early operation of the plant. These problems cannot besuccessfully solved by the conventionally adopted methods, such as thesmoothing of the surface of stainless steel, and the simple reduction ofnon-metallic inclusions contained in steel.

Further, the previously-described corrosion resistance and non-catalyticproperty against speciality gases can be improved by forming a Cr oxidelayer on the surface of stainless steel. When the method for producing apipe or a member for gases used for manufacturing semiconductors istaken into consideration, the treatment for forming a Cr oxide layershould be carried out after the surface of the stainless steel whichwill come into contact with a gas is smoothed by means ofelectropolishing. However, since the diffusion of Cr is slow inconventional austenitic stainless steel, it is not easy to form on thesteel a Cr oxide layer which can sufficiently show the above propertieseven when the steel is subjected to the oxidation treatment after it issmoothed by electropolishing. This problem cannot be solved even byreducing the amount of non-metallic inclusions.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide austenitic stainlesssteels used for a pipe line for high-purity gases, which meet thenon-dusting characteristics required when a pipe line is laid bywelding, as well as corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance,machinability and weldability. Another object of the invention is toprovide high Cr stainless steels (ferritic stainless steels and duplexstainless steels) used for a pipe line for high-purity gases, which canreadily form thereon a Cr oxide layer having excellent corrosionresistance and non-catalytic property after they are smoothed by meansof electropolishing.

The above objects can be attained by the following stainless steels (1)to (3) for high-purity gases.

Amend pages 5 and 6

(1) Austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gases, characterized bycomprising 10 to 40% by weight of Ni, 15 to 30% by weight of Cr, 0 to 7%by weight of Mo, 0 to 3% by weight of Cu, 0 to 3% by weight of W, 0.005to 0.30% by weight of N, 0 to 0.02% by weight of B, 0 to 0.01% by weightof Se, and Fe and unavoidable impurities as the remaining part, providedthat the impurities contain 0.03% by weight or less of C, 0.50% byweight or less of Si, 0.20% by weight or less of Mn, 0.01% by weight orless of Al, 0.02% by weight or less of P, 0.003% by weight or less of Sand 0.01% by weight or less of 0, and that the Ni-bal. value obtainedfrom the following equation <1> is 0 or more and less than 2:

    Ni-bal.=Ni eq.-1.1×Cr eq.+8.2                        <1>

where

Ni eq.(%)=%Ni+%Cu+0.5%Mn+30 (%C+%N)

Cr eq.(%)=%Cr+1.5%Si+%Mo+%W

It is desirable that the B and Se contents of this stainless steel be inthe following respective ranges:

B: 0.001 to 0.02%; and

Se: 0.0005 to 0.01%.

(2) Ferritic stainless steel for high-purity gases, characterized bycomprising 20 to 30% by weight of Cr, 0.1 to 5% by weight of Mo, 0 to 3%by weight of Ni, 0 to 1% by weight of Ti, 0 to 1% by weight of Nb, 0.03%by weight or less of N, 0 to 0.5% by weight of Cu, 0.1 to 0.5% by weightof W, and Fe and unavoidable impurities as the remaining part, providedthat the impurities contain 0.03% by weight or less of C, 0.5% by weightor less of Si, 0.2% by weight or less of Mn, 0.05% by weight or less ofAl, 0.02% by weight or less of P, 0.003% by weight or less of S and0.01% by weight or less of 0.

It is desirable that the Ti, Nb and Cu contents of this stainless steelbe in the following respective ranges:

Ti:0.1 to 1%;

Nb:0.1 to 1%; and

Cu:0.1 to 0.5%

(3) Duplex stainless steel for high-purity gases, characterized bycomprising 4 to 8% by weight of Ni, 20 to 30% by weight of Cr, 0.1 to 5%by weight of Mo, 0.1 to 0.3% by weight of N, 0 to 0.5% by weight of Cu,0 to 0.5% by weight of W, and Fe and unavoidable impurities as theremaining part, provided that the impurities contain 0.03% by weight orless of C, 0.5% by weight or less of Si, 0.2% by weight or less of Mn,0.05% by weight or less of Al, 0.02% by weight or less of P, 0.003% byweight or less of S and 0.01% by weight or less of 0.

It is desirable that the Cu and W contents of this stainless steel be inthe following respective ranges:

Cu, W: both are 0.1 to 0.5%

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between vapor pressure andtemperature in terms of the main alloying elements of stainless steel.

FIG. 2 is a table showing the chemical compositions of the seamlesssteel pipes used in Test 1;

FIG. 3 shows the welding conditions in Test 1; and

FIG. 4 shows the numbers of particles produced during the welding, theresults of the composition analysis of the particles, and the hardnessesof the steels of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the chemical compositions of the steels of the presentinvention used in Test 2;

FIG. 6 shows the chemical compositions of the comparative steels used inTest 2; and

FIG. 7 shows the conditions of drill-boring conducted to examine themachinability of the steels. Further,

FIG. 8 shows the results of Test 2 obtained in terms of the steels ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 9 shows the results of Test 2 obtained in terms of the comparativesteels.

FIG. 10 is a table showing the chemical compositions of the seamlesssteel pipes used in Test 3; and

FIG. 11 is a table showing the results of Test 3.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In order to develop pipes for high-purity gases having superiornon-dusting characteristics by clarifying dusting behavior at the timeof welding, the inventors of the present invention welded SUS 316Lstainless steel pipes whose inner surface had been smoothed by means ofelectropolishing, counted the number of particles produced during thewelding, and analyzed the particles to determine the chemicalcomposition thereof. As a result, it became clear that the maincomponent of the particles produced was Mn, which is an alloying elementof the stainless steel. The reason of this fact will be explained byreferring to FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between vapor pressure andtemperature in terms of the main alloying elements of stainless steel(see "Handbook of Chemistry", pp. 702-705, Maruzen Co., Ltd., 1975). Asshown in the graph, the vapor pressure of Mn is remarkably higher thanthose of the other elements in the range of 1400° to 1600° C. in whichthe melting point of SUS stainless steel falls. This graph shows theabove relationship in terms of the metals which are pure. However, it isunderstood that this tendency can be applied as it is to stainless steelwhen the vapor pressure of the gas phase at the upper part of moltenstainless steel at the time of welding is considered. It is thereforeconsidered that Mn is preferentially evaporated from the molten steelwhen welding is conducted, and cooled and solidified in a shielding gasto become a particle.

Further, the effect of the chemical composition of stainless steel, andparticularly that of the content of Mn, by which almost all of theparticles are made, on the amount of dust produced; that is, the numberof the particles produced were examined. As a result, it was found thatwhen Mn content is 0.20% by weight or less, the amount of dust which bywelding is drastically reduced. In addition, the relationship betweenweldability or machinability and chemical composition was examined. As aresult, it was found that Se content has an influence on weldability andthat N and B contents have an influence on machinability.

Furthermore, in order to develop stainless steels which can readily formthereon a Cr oxide layer having high corrosion resistance and excellentnon-catalytic property, the inventors of the present invention smoothed,by means of electropolishing, the inner surface of pipes made ofstainless steels having various chemical compositions, and subjected thepipes to oxidation treatment. The properties, corrosion resistance andnon-catalytic property of the oxide layers thus obtained were thenexamined.

As a result, it was found that stainless steels in which Cr level ishigher and Ni level is lower than those in SUS 316L stainless steel;that is. ferritic stainless steel and duplex stainless steel, readilyform thereon a Cr oxide layer when they are subjected to oxidizationtreatment after smoothed by means of electropolishing, and that the Croxide layer offers high superiority in both corrosion resistance andnon-catalytic property.

The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of the abovefindings. The reasons why the chemical compositions of the stainlesssteels defined in the present invention, and the Ni-bal. value of theaustenitic stainless steels of the invention are restricted to thepreviously-mentioned ranges will now be explained. Hereinafter, "%"means "% by weight".

Ni:

10 to 40% in the austenitic stainless steels;

0 to 3% in the ferritic stainless steels; and

4 to 8% in the two-phase stainless steels.

Ni is an important element for the corrosion resistance and structurecontrol of the austenitic stainless steels. In order to maintain andstabilize the structure of austenite, and to keep the corrosionresistance of the steels, the range of Ni content was restricted to 10to 40%. When Ni content is less than 10%, the structure of austenitecannot be stabilized. On the other hand, when Ni content is in excess of40%, the effects of Ni are saturated, and the production cost is alsoincreased; such a high Ni content is uneconomical.

An addition of a small amount of Ni to the ferritic stainless steels iseffective for improving toughness, so that it is desirable toincorporate Ni into the steels, when necessary. In the case where Ni isintentionally added to the ferritic stainless steels to obtain thiseffect, it is desirable to make the lowest limit of the amount of Niadded to 0.1%. The more preferable amount of Ni is 0.2% or more. On theother hand, when more than 3% of Ni is added to the ferritic stainlesssteels, an extremely small amount of austenite is produced therein, andtoughness and corrosion resistance are thus impaired.

In order to maintain the corrosion resistance and toughness of theduplex stainless steels, it is necessary to control the proportion ofaustenite contained in the whole structure to 40 to 60%. When Ni contentis less than 4%, the proportion of austenite is insufficient. On thecontrary, the proportion of austenite becomes excessively high when Nicontent exceeds 8%. Thus,corrosion resistance and toughness are impairedin either cases. The preferable range of Ni content is from 5 to 7%.

Cr: 15 to 30% in the austenitic stainless steels; and 20 to 30% in theferritic stainless steels and in the duplex stainless steels.

Cr is also, like Ni, an important element for the corrosion resistanceand structure control of the austenitic stainless steels. The range ofthe Cr content of the austenitic stainless steels was restricted to 15to 30%. When Cr content is less than 15%, even minimum corrosionresistance required for stainless steels cannot be obtained. On theother hand, when Cr content is in excess of 30%, intermetallic compoundstend to separate out, so that hot-workability and mechanical propertiesare impaired.

Cr is an important element in high Cr stainless steels. This is becauseCr improves the corrosion resistance of the steels themselves, and, atthe same time, makes the steels easily form thereon a Cr oxide layer.For this reason, with respect to the ferritic stainless steels and theduplex stainless steels, the range of Cr content was fixed to 20 to 30%.When Cr content is less than 20%, a Cr oxide layer cannot besatisfactorily formed. On the other hand, when Cr content is more than30%, intermetallic compounds tend to separate out, and toughness is thusimpaired. The preferable range of Cr content is from 24 to 30%.

Mo: 0 to 7% in the austenitic stainless steels; and 0.1 to 5% in theferritic stainless steels and in the duplex stainless steels.

Reduction of the amount of dust which is produced when welding isconducted is the main purpose of the austenitic stainless steels of thepresent invention. However, corrosion resistance is also one of theimportant properties for the austenitic stainless steels as mentionedpreviously. Therefore, Mo, which has the effect of improving corrosionresistance, may be added to the steels within such a range that theother properties such as hot-workability and weldability are not marred.In the case where Mo is intentionally added to the steels, one or moreelements selected from Mo, and Cu and W, which will be described later,are added. In order to obtain the above effect, it is desirable to makethe lowest limit of Mo content to 0.1%. When Mo content is in excess of7%, the effect of improving corrosion resistance is saturated.

Amend page 10

In the case of the high Cr stainless steels of the present invention, Mois added in order to improve corrosion resistance to corrosive gases.When Mo content is less than 0.1%, this effect cannot be obtained. Onthe other hand, when Mo content is in excess of 5%, intermetalliccompounds separate out, and toughness is impaired. The preferable rangeof Mo content is from 1 to 4%.

Cu, W: both Cu and W are 0 to 3% in the austenitic stainless steel; Cuis 0 to 0.5% and W is 0.1 to 0.5% in the ferritic stainless steels andboth of them are 0 to 0.5% in the duplex stainless steels.

As mentioned above, corrosion resistance is also one of the importantproperties for the austenitic stainless steels which require non-dustingcharacteristics. Cu and W are elements which have, like Mo, the effectof improving corrosion resistance. Therefore, they may be added to theaustenitic stainless steels within such a range that the otherproperties such as hot-workability and weldability are not marred. Inthe case where Cu or W is intentionally added, one or more elementsselected from Mo, Cu and W are incorporated into the steels. In thiscase, it is desirable to make both the lowest limit of Cu content andthat of W content to 0.1% in order to obtain the above effect. When bothCu and W contents are in excess of 3%, the effect of improving corrosionresistance is saturated.

In the ferritic stainless steel according to the present invention, itis preferred to use W as the essential ingredient for ensuring corrosionresistance and use Cu as necessary. When the W content is less than0.1%, the effect of improving corrosion resistance can not be obtainedand the effect is saturated when it exceeds 0.5%, so that the content isdefined as 0. 1 to 0.5%. If Cu is added intentionally, the content ispreferably from 0.1 to 0.5%.

In the duplex stainless steel, since Cu and W improve corrosionresistance, one or both of them may be used preferably as necessary. Ina case of intentional addition for obtaining the effect, the lower limitfor the content is preferably 0.1% for each of them. On the other hand,if each of them exceeds 0.5%, the effect described above is saturated.

C: 0.03% or less.

C makes Cr carbide separate out at a weld to impair corrosionresistance, so that it is necessary to reduce C content. C content wastherefore restricted to 0.03% or less in consideration of the use of thesteels of the present invention for strongly-corrosive gases. Thepreferable range of C content is 0.02% or less.

Si: 0.50% or less.

Although Si has the action of deoxidizing steels to purify the steels,it also produces, at the same time, oxide inclusions. When Si content isin excess of 0.50%, the inclusions become large, and non-dustingcharacteristics under steady state conditions are particularly impaired.It is therefore necessary to reduce Si content. For this reason, Sicontent was restricted to 0.50% or less. The desirable range of Sicontent is 0.1% or less in the case of the austenitic stainless steelswhich are required to have non-dusting characteristics, and 0.2% or lessin the case of the high Cr stainless steels.

Mn: 0.20% or less.

Mn has, like Si, the action of deoxidizing steels to purify the steels.However, it is the most harmful element for non-dusting characteristicsrequired when welding is conducted. When Mn content is in excess of0.2%, the amount of dust which is produced by welding is drasticallyincreased. For this reason, Mn content was restricted to 0.2% or less.The desirable range of Mn content is 0.1% or less.

Al: 0.01% or less in the austenitic stainless steels; and 0.05% or lessin the ferritic stainless steels and in the duplex stainless steels.

Al also has, like Si, the action of deoxidizing steels to purify thesteels. However, Al produces oxide inclusions, and cause these oxideinclusions to become enlarged. Further, Al is oxidized much more easilythan the other alloying elements, so that Al on the molten metal surfaceof pipes is reacted, when the pipes are welded, with an extremely smallamount of oxygen present in the atmosphere in the pipes, whereby Aloxide is produced. Dust is produced due to either of these reasons. Itis therefore necessary to reduce Al content in the case of theaustenitic stainless steels. For this reason, the Al content of theaustenitic stainless steels was restricted to 0.01% or less, and that ofthe high Cr stainless steels was restricted to 0.05% or less. Thepreferable range of Al content is 0.01% or less.

P: 0.02% or less.

P is harmful for hot-workability, so that it is necessary to reduce Pcontent. However, it is difficult to reduce P content to extremely lowlevel from the viewpoint of steel making. Further, a material in which Plevel is low and which is needed to produce stainless steel whose Pcontent is extremely low is expensive. Therefore, it is not economicalto reduce P content to excessively low level. For this reason, it isdesirable to make P content to such a level that does not adverselyaffect the properties of the steels. The range of P content was thusrestricted to 0.02% or less.

S: 0.003% or less.

S produces sulfide inclusions even when the amount thereof is extremelysmall, and therefore impairing corrosion resistance. It is necessary toreduce S content. The range of S content was restricted to 0.003% orless so as not to impair corrosion resistance and economical efficiency.The desirable range of S content is 0.002% or less.

O (oxygen): 0.01% or less.

O is an element which produces oxide inclusions in steels, so that it isnecessary to reduce O as much as possible. The oxide inclusions areagglomerated and become large at a weld when welding is conducted. Inorder to reduce the amount of dust particles during the weld, the rangeof O content in the steel was restricted to 0.01% or less so as not toadversely affect non-dusting characteristics. The preferable range of Ocontent is 0.005% or less.

N alone or N and B in combination is incorporated into the austeniticstainless steels of the present invention. Further, N content issuppressed as much as possible in the ferritic stainless steels, whereasN is incorporated into the duplex stainless steels.

N: 0.005 to 0.30% in the austenitic stainless steel, 0.03% or less inthe ferritic stainless steel and 0.1 to 0.3% the duplex stainless steel.

In the austenitic stainless steels, N is an element contained inevitablyin the steel. However, N acts as an alloying element having an effect ofenhancing strength, hardness and corrosion resistance. In the austeniticstainless steel according to the present invention, since C, Si, Mn, P,S and O are elements having the dust enhancing effect are reduced asdescribed above, hardness is lowered as compared with general stainlesssteels. Decrease in hardness is not a great problem for stainless steelpipes for high-purity gases. However, in the case of the pipeline partshaving a slidable portion on a gas sealing surface such as various typesof valves, it is necessary to increase hardness in order to improve theabrasion resistance of the slidable portion. For such a purpose, it iseffective to increase hardness by addition of N.

When the N content of the austenitic stainless steels is less than0.005%, the above-described effect of increasing hardness can not beobtained. On the other hand, when it is more than 0.30%, it separatesout as nitride and corrosion resistance is impaired. Therefore, therange of N content is 0.005 to 0.30%. The desirable range is 0.1 to0.25%.

In the case of ferritic stainless steels, even if an extremely smallamount of N is added to the steels, Cr nitride is produced, andtoughness is impaired. In order to prevent the decrease in toughness, itis necessary to control N content to 0.03% or less. The preferable rangeof N content is 0.01% or less.

In the case of the duplex stainless steels, N and the austenite phaseform a solid solution to improve corrosion resistance. When N content isless than 0.1%, this effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, whenN content is in excess of 0.3%, Cr nitride is produced, and toughness isthus impaired. The preferable range of N content is from 0.15 to 0.3%.

B: 0 to 0.02% in the austenitic stainless steels.

B is an element which produces nitride. When B (in addition to theabove-described N) is added to the austenitic stainless steels, not onlyhardness but also machinability is improved. This is because extremelyfine nitride, BN, separates out to improve the crushability of shavings.In order to obtain this effect, it is necessary that N content be in therange of 0.01 to 0.30% and that B content be 0.001% or more. On theother hand, when B content is in excess of 0.02%, nitride separates outexcessively so that corrosion resistance is impaired. For this reason,the range of B content was restricted to 0.001 to 0.02%. The desirablerange of B content is from 0.005 to 0.01%.

It is possible to further incorporate Se into the austenitic stainlesssteels of the present invention.

Se: 0 to 0.01% in the austenitic stainless steels.

Since Se has the effect of improving arc stability required in arcwelding which is ordinarily conducted, and the effect of suppressing thechange in shape of molten metals, Se is added to the austeniticstainless steels, when necessary. In the case where Se is intentionallyadded to the steels, the above effects cannot be obtained when Secontent is less than 0.0005%. On the other hand, when Se content is inexcess of 0.01%, non-metallic inclusions are formed, and corrosionresistance is thus impaired. For this reason, the range of Se contentwas restricted to 0.0005 to 0.01%. The desirable range of Se content isfrom 0.001 to 0.005%.

One or both of Ti and Nb can be further incorporated into the ferriticstainless steels of the present invention, when necessary.

Ti, Nb: both are 0 to 1% in the ferritic stainless steels.

In order to stabilize C and N which produce Cr precipitates, it iseffective to add Ti and/or Nb, which produces stable carbon nitride, tothe ferritic stainless steels. It is therefore desirable to add Tiand/or Nb, when necessary. When they are intentionally added to thesteels to obtain the above effect, it is desirable to make both thelowest limit of Ti content and that of Nb content to 0.1%. On the otherhand, when both Ti and Nb contents are in excess of 1%, the above effectis saturated. The more preferable range of Ti content and that of Nbcontent are from 0.2 to 0.5%.

The austenitic stainless steels of the present invention is furtherdefined by the Ni-bal. value which is obtained from the previously-givenequation <1>.

Ni-bal. value: 0 or more and less than 2.

When the Ni-bal. value is less than 0, the structure of austenite cannotbe stably obtained, and only such a structure that contains a ferritephase is obtained. Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance arethus impaired. On the other hand, when this value is 2 or more,hot-workability is impaired. When steel ingots are produced on a smalllaboratory scale, trouble will not occur even if hot-workability ispoor. However, when the steel ingots are mass-produced on a commercialscale, these ingots tend to crack during forging and rolling processes.For this reason, the Ni-bal. value which is calculated from the contentsof the alloying elements of the steels of the present invention wasrestricted to 0 or more and less than 2.

The effects of the stainless steels for high-purity gases of the presentinvention will now be explained by referring to the following examples,that is, Test 1 to Test 3.

Test 1

The inner surface of seamless pipes having an outer diameter of 6.4 mm,a thickness of 1 mm and a length of 4 m, made of SUS 316L stainlesssteels having a chemical composition shown in FIG. 2 was smoothed bymeans of electropolishing until the R_(max) of the surface became 0.7micron or less. Thereafter, the inner surface of the pipes was washedwith high-purity water, and dried by allowing 99.999% Ar gas to runthrough the pipes at 120° C. The pipes made of a steel of the same typewere welded by an automatic welder without conducting edge preparationunder the conditions shown in FIG. 3 so that the weld, that is, the weldbead would come on the inner surface of the pipe. Ar shielding gas whichwas allowed to run through the pipe during this welding was introducedto a particle counter at the downstream side of the weld to count thenumber of particles produced. The amount of dust produced was evaluatedin such a manner.

Further, the above Ar shielding gas was directly blown into 1 mol/lhydrochloric acid. The concentrations of the metals in the hydrochloricacid were then measured, thereby determining the composition of theparticles.

The number of particles produced, the results of the compositionanalysis, and the hardnesses of the pipes made of the steels of thepresent invention at the central part thereof (the part not affected bythe welding) are shown in FIG. 4.

The results shown in FIG. 4 demonstrate that the austenitic stainlesssteels having a chemical composition defined in the present inventionproduce a minute amount of dust when the steels are welded. This effectis obtained due to the reduced Mn and Al contents of the steels.Further, those steels of the present invention which contain N havehardness 17-56% higher than those of the other steels.

Test 2

Stainless steels having a chemical composition shown in FIGS. 5 and 6were produced in a vacuum induction heating furnace, and processed intopipes and plates by means of hot processing and cold processing.Thereafter, the pipes and the plates were treated at 1000° C. under H₂gas atmosphere so as to form solid solutions.

The steel pipes obtained were subjected to electropolishing, and thentests for evaluating the corrosion resistance and abrasion resistancethereof were carried out. Further, after the polished pipes were welded,the number of particles produced from the inner surface of the pipeswere counted; the particles were subjected to composition analysis; aweldability test was carried out; and machinability was tested by usingthe plates obtained.

The conditions of the electropolishing and those of the welding, themethod for counting the number of the particles produced and that of thecomposition analysis of the particles, and the conditions such as thedimension of the steel pipes used are the same as those in Test 1.

A corrosion resistance test was carried out as follows: The pipe afterbeing subjected to electropolishing was cut lengthwise in half, and afilter paper impregnated with an aqueous ferric chloride solution wasstuck to the inner surface of the pipe. This was preserved at 25° C. for6 hours, and the inner surface of the pipe was then observed as towhether corrosion occurred or not. The test was carried out by changingthe concentration of the aqueous ferric chloride solution, and corrosionresistance was evaluated by the critical concentration of the solutionfor pitting. Abrasion resistance was evaluated by the Vickers hardnessof the cross-section of the pipe which had been subjected toelectropolishing.

Weldability was evaluated in the following manner: The pipes after beingsubjected to electropolishing were welded at the circumference thereofunder the same conditions as in Test 1. The weld was cut lengthwise inhalf, and the width of the bead on the inner surface of the pipe wasmeasured. Weldability was evaluated by the variation of the width in thecircumferential direction.

Machinability was evaluated as follows: The plate material having athickness of 9 mm was bored by using a drill under the conditions shownin FIG. 7. Machinability was evaluated by the number of bores which wereobtainable by using one drill. The results of the above tests are shownin FIGS. 8 and 9.

The results shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 clearly demonstrate that theaustenitic stainless steels having a chemical composition defined in thepresent invention produce only a minute amount of dust when they arewelded. This effect is obtained due to the reduced Mn, Al, Si and Ocontents of the steels. It is clear that the austenitic stainless steelsof the present invention are also superior in corrosion resistance,abrasion resistance and machinability.

Test 3

Stainless steels having a chemical composition shown in Table 10 wereproduced. They were subjected to hot extrusion, and then processed intoseamless steel pipes having an outer diameter of 6.4 mm, a thickness of1 mm, and a length of 1 m by cold rolling and cold drawing.

The inner surface of the pipes obtained was smoothed by means ofelectropolishing to make the R_(max) of the surface to 0.7 micron orless, washed with high-purity water, and then dried by allowing 99.999%Ar gas to run through the pipe at 120° C. The steel pipes finallyobtained were subjected to oxidation treatment under the followingconditions to form an oxide layer thereon.

Conditions of oxidation treatment: Preserved at 550° C. for 3 hours inthe stream of Ar gas containing 10% of hydrogen and 100 ppm of watervapor.

After the oxidation treatment was carried out, the thickness of theoxide layer and the Cr concentration in the oxide layer were measured,and the water-discharging property, corrosion resistance and catalyticproperty of the inner surface of the pipes were examined to totallyevaluate the pipes.

The Cr oxide layer was evaluated in the following manner: The pipe wascut lengthwise in half, and the distribution of elements in thedirection of the depth of the inner surface of the pipe was determinedby a secondary ion mass spectrometer. The maximum Cr concentration inall metal elements contained in the oxide layer, and the thickness of aCr rich portion of the oxide layer were obtained.

Water-discharging property was evaluated in the following manner: Thepipe after being subjected to the oxidation treatment was allowed tostand for 24 hours in a laboratory where the humidity was 50%. Whilehigh-purity Ar gas containing less than 1 ppb of water was being allowedto run through the pipe at a rate of 1 liter/min, the concentration ofvapor in the gas was measured at the output end of the pipe by anatmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer. Water-dischargingproperty was evaluated by the time required for the vapor concentrationto become 1 ppb from the beginning of the measurement.

Corrosion resistance was evaluated in the following manner: 5 atoms ofhydrogen bromide gas was charged in the pipe which had been subjected tothe oxidation treatment, and the pipe was sealed. This pipe waspreserved at 80° C. for 100 hours. Thereafter, the inner surface of thepipe was observed by a scanning electron microscope as to whether thesurface underwent any change.

Catalytic property was evaluated as follows: Ar gas containing 100 ppmof monosilane (SiH₄) was allowed to run through the pipe which had beensubjected to the oxidation treatment, by changing the temperature of thepipe. The concentration of H₂ generated by the decomposition of themonosilane was measured at the output end of the pipe by gaschromatography. Catalytic property was evaluated by the minimumdecomposition temperature of the monosilane. The results of the abovetests are shown in FIG. 11.

The results shown in FIG. 11 clearly demonstrate that the oxide layersformed by subjecting the ferritic or duplex stainless steels of thepresent invention to oxidation treatment have a high Cr concentrationand are thick and that such oxide layers are useful for improving thewater-discharging property and the non-catalytic property, as well asthe corrosion resistance.

Industrial Applicability

The austenitic stainless steels of the present invention are steelswhich have decreased Mn, Al, Si and O contents and which meet thenon-dusting characteristics required at the time of welding. Inaddition, corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance and machinabilityare more improved. The ferritic and duplex stainless steels of thepresent invention are steels which can readily form thereon a Cr oxidelayer having superior corrosion resistance and non-catalytic propertywhen they are subjected to oxidation treatment. Therefore, all of thesteels of the present invention are suitable as stainless steels forhigh-purity gases used for apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors orliquid crystals, and can thus be utilized in the field of themanufacturing of semiconductors or liquid crystals.

What is claimed is:
 1. Austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gases,characterized by comprising 10 to 40% by weight of Ni, 15 to 30% byweight of Cr, 0 to 7% by weight of Mo, 0 to 3% by weight of Cu, 0 to 3%by weight of W, 0.005 to 0.30% by weight of N, 0 to 0.02% by weight ofB, 0 to 0.01% by weight of Se, and Fe and unavoidable impurities as theremaining part, provided that the impurities contain 0.03% by weight orless of C, 0.50% by weight or less of Si, 0.20% by weight or less of Mn,0.01% by weight or less of Al, 0.02% by weight or less of P, 0.003% byweight or less of S and 0.01% by weight or less of O, and that theNi-bal. value obtained from the following equation <1> is 0 or more andless than 2:

    Ni-bal.=Ni eq.-1.1×Cr eq.+8.2                        <1>

where Ni eq.(%)=%Ni+%Cu+0.5%Mn+30 (%C+%N) Cr eq. (%)=%Cr+1.5%Si+%Mo+%W.2. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gases according toclaim 1, comprising 0.001 to 0.02% by weight of B.
 3. The austeniticstainless steel for high-purity gases according to claim 1, comprising0.0005 to 0.01% by weight of Se.
 4. The austenitic stainless steel forhigh-purity gases according to claim 1, wherein Mn is less than 0.10% byweight.
 5. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein Mo is present in an amount of 1 to 4% byweight.
 6. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein Cu is present in an amount of at least0.1% by weight.
 7. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein W is present in an amount of at least 0.1%by weight.
 8. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein C is present in an amount of 0.02% byweight or less.
 9. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein Si is present in an amount of 0.1% byweight or less.
 10. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein S is present in an amount of 0.002% byweight or less.
 11. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein oxygen is present in an amount of 0.005%by weight or less.
 12. The austenitic stainless steel for high-puritygases according to claim 1, wherein N is present in an amount of 0.1 to0.25% by weight.
 13. The austenitic stainless steel for high-puritygases according to claim 1, wherein B is present in an amount of 0.001to 0.02% by weight.
 14. The austenitic stainless steel for high-puritygases according to claim 1, wherein Se is present in an amount of 0.001to 0.005% by weight and Ti and/or Ni is present in an amount of 0.2 to0.5% by weight.
 15. The austenitic stainless steel for high-purity gasesaccording to claim 1, wherein the steel comprises a pipeline of a highpurity gas supply of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, thepipeline having an inner surface with a roughness R_(max) of 0.7 micronor less.